You Belong to Me
by MelissaMargaret
Summary: Companion piece to Down the Middle. After what feels like a lifetime of raising two teenage girls on her own can Esme accept that what was a casual fling could possibly be much, much more? C/Es. AH. Prior reading of Down the Middle is not necessary.


I wrote an Alice/Jasper piece for Kr2009's birthday a while back. This is the story of the Carlisle and Esme from that. If you read that one you will recognize all of the characters and a lot of the dialogue. If not this can stand alone as it's own one-shot and I hope you enjoy!

Thank you to Mackenzie L for her beta work.

Kelley, I guess I've decided to celebrate your birthday all winter long!

* * *

Twelve noon.

La Hacienda Mexican Café.

Victoria, Texas.

Esme sat in the booth furthest from the door, like always, eyes scanning the crowd like a hawk. She kept an eye out for anyone she knew, while watching the door, waiting for him.

Every Thursday afternoon they met here. Same time, same place, same day. Only twice had he stood her up, and never without good reason. She knew the reality of dating a doctor. Especially a trauma surgeon. She had her reasons for wanting to keep their relationship a secret, and his job was close to the top of that list. She wasn't even sure she could call it a relationship. She wouldn't call him her boyfriend, but the words friends with benefits didn't seem right either – even though it was mostly about the sex.

Speaking of the sex…

She watched him walk in when the door chimed to announce his arrival. All black pants, white shirt, and perfectly starched lab coat that he never seemed to take off in public.

She secretly thought he did it on purpose. He knew the effect it had on every woman he crossed paths with. If there was one thing Carlisle was not hard up for it was female attention. Esme suppressed the urge to growl as the hostess rushed up to him. It was a completely unnecessary display. They were in here every single Thursday. The girl knew which table he wanted, and that his party was already waiting for him.

It never surprised Esme, though. Carlisle was the most breathtaking man she had ever seen, and she doubted that the other women in here had seen any better.

He leaned down to kiss her cheek when he reached their table before sliding into the booth across from her.

"Sorry I'm late," he said. It was his standard greeting, but Esme knew better than to hold his tardiness against him. The hospital held him up more often than not.

She waved off his apology as he gave the waitress his usual order.

"Busy morning?" Esme asked. The lines around his eyes were pronounced and the exhaustion was evident on his handsome face.

He nodded. "Just the usual ER routine, but I've seen more patients than normal for a Thursday. How did it go with the accountant?"

Esme sighed. "I hate driving all the way down there for them to show me the books that haven't changed at all in the last month. I swear, have you driven in Corpus lately? It took half the entire commute to get from NPID to downtown."

Carlisle laughed and Esme fought the childish urge to throw her straw at him. It wasn't funny. Yes it was, but still she was annoyed with what she considered her wasted morning.

"At least I have their reports to take to the bank this afternoon."

"They'd be stupid to deny you the capital."

She nodded. "I know they won't. It just pisses me off having to jump through all these hoops. It's my money." She knew she was pouting, but couldn't help it.

Esme Anne Kenedy-Hale was easily the wealthiest person in three counties, her vast inheritance and her ranch coming from a long line of Texas ranching royalty. She was one of the few in her family still involved in the day to day life of what had established her family's name. Most of her somewhat distant relatives focused more on other business ventures.

She honestly couldn't remember the last time she had talked to her family. Both her parents were long gone, and her only brother had died in a car crash seventeen years before. That heartbreaking event had brought her one of the greatest joys in her life, however.

Her niece, Alice.

The same age as her own daughter, Rosalie, when her brother's will had been read and next of kin proved to be Esme, there was no doubt she would raise both girls together.

They had formed the most unusual little family most of Goliad had ever seen, but it worked perfectly for them, even if she did have a tendency to hide men from them. What they didn't know about their aunt and mother wouldn't hurt them.

She watched as Carlisle cut into his _carne asada,_ her mind shifting into an entirely different direction as he all but tongue fucked his fork.

"Come over tonight?" she asked. "After the girls go to sleep."

He nodded, a smirk pulling at the end of his mouth. It seemed he was spending more nights at Esme's than ever lately. She grinned, thinking about it. They were like horny teenagers sneaking around their parents. Except they were the parents sneaking around their teenagers.

She couldn't deny the secrecy was like a perpetual high, though. There was something alluring about the risk of being caught. Besides, Esme was incredibly private person, despite her prominence in the community. She didn't need everyone in the county knowing who she was dating, even though they all assumed.

Carlisle secretly loved all the sneaking around, too. He was like a little kid with his excitement when he came over in the middle of the night.

He wasn't the first for her, and she wasn't even sure she wanted it to be more than a fling. Only one man she had ever dated had been introduced to the girls and they were both much younger at the time. She didn't want to take them on that up and down rollercoaster unless she was sure about someone.

The girls had both been through enough.

When she was a child, Rosalie's relationship with her dad had been rocky. She was often angry and she resented the man quite a bit for walking out on them. Esme never knew how to explain to a child that they were teenagers when she was born and were never meant to be together in the first place. Rose saw the world through Disney-colored glasses as a child; she believed everything was true love, and love always won.

It wasn't until Rose became a teenager that her perception changed and she began to see that the world was not as black and white as she once thought. She was able to understand that Esme had only been sixteen when she became pregnant, and that she had done a damn good job of raising Rosalie in spite of her age. Her relationship with her father was mending, and nothing made Esme happier than to see her baby girl's eyes light up when her father would call.

Alice, on the other hand, had almost no memory of her parents. Esme thanked God every day that she also had no memory of the crash that had killed them both but spared her with no injuries other than a few scrapes and bruises.

Esme and Rosalie were all her niece had ever known.

They had a good life together, and no matter how attracted she was to someone, Esme wouldn't let anyone disturb the peace they lived in. She was thirty-four years old and could safely say she had been in love once. That had proved a disappointment to both her and the girls. She wouldn't be going down that road again until she was sure of the relationship's potential.

.

.

.

That afternoon when her errands were finished and it was time to go home and see her girls all Esme could think about was pizza. She wanted it more than she wanted Carlisle's cock, and that was saying something.

She quickly texted Carmen, their housekeeper, to let her know dinner was taken care of, and swung by the nearest Pizza Hut.

Half an hour later she pulled into her driveway just as she heard her phone chime. She smiled absentmindedly as she read Carlisle's text while walking into the house.

_Shitty afternoon. Need to be in you already._

When she finally pulled her eyes away from the wonderfully explicit words on her phone, she came almost face to face with a boy.

"Oh, hello. You girls didn't tell me you had company." She offered him her hand. "Esme."

She had met Emmett McCarty before, so she knew this must have been the elusive Jasper Hale, whom she had heard of but never met.

"How do you do, ma'am," he said, shaking her hand in a strong grip. She liked that. You could tell a lot about a person from their handshake and his was polite but confident. "Alice and I were studying and she said it was okay if I stayed for a bite to eat. That is if it's okay with you of course."

Oh, and his manners were stunning. She suspected Alice had a crush on this boy, and if so, Esme had taught her well. She grinned at that thought and told him she would be more than delighted to have him stay for dinner.

Carmen brought plates from the kitchen and they decided to have a relaxed meal in the living room. Pizza was no cause for sitting at the table, and honestly it wasn't something they did very often anyway. They were all so frequently busy everyone would fend for themselves for most meals.

"So, what were you kids studying?" Esme asked once they were all settled in – her and Rosalie on one couch, and Jasper and Alice each taking up the large chairs.

"Biology. There's a test tomorrow, and I was worried about it," Alice replied.

Esme nodded. "And you feel good now?"

"Yeah. Jasper's a good study partner."

Esme didn't miss the way Alice smiled when she looked at Jasper or the way she blushed when she caught him watching her. They were adorable. Two kids falling for each other and everyone but them could see it. Sometimes Esme longed for those days, but she had done nothing but get in trouble back then.

Alice was smarter than that.

Rosalie too – she hoped.

"And you," Esme said, bumping her leg against her daughter's. "Did you study? Don't even pretend you don't have this same test tomorrow."

"I sure did, darling!"

"Right," Esme drawled, not believing Rose for a second. Her daughter was a smooth liar, even when she wasn't trying to be. "You know if your grades slip I'll take that beautiful new truck away from you."

Rosalie squirmed and Esme knew she had her there. That truck was her daughter's most prized possession, and she knew Esme meant business and really would take it away as fast as she had given it.

"I'll study more after dinner."

"That's what I thought… So, Jasper, you hang out with these two and Edward, Em, and Bella?"

"Yes, ma'am," he replied.

"Tell me about what's going on between Emmett and my daughter."

"Mom!"

Esme just shrugged. "You can't hide things from me. You aren't that slick."

"Neither are you," Rose muttered under her breath, reaching for another slice of pizza.

Esme fought the urge to roll her eyes. Her Rosalie was always talking as though no one could hear her. And whatever she thought she knew, there was no way she knew the truth. They were too careful.

"What was that, dear?"

"Nothing, Mom. We're just friends. That's it."

They finished up the last of the pizza and Jasper told them he needed to get back into town to pick up his mother from work. Small towns were famous for everybody knowing everybody and even though this was her first meeting with Jasper, she knew his mother worked at the bakery counter at HEB. She had ordered many cakes from her over the years for the girls' birthdays.

She watched through the window as Alice walked Jasper to his car. She smiled at how slick both her girls thought they were. It wasn't that cold outside, but Alice was tiny, and tended to bundle up when the temperature went below eighty. So, what she was doing in a pair of tiny shorts – Esme's tiny shorts to be specific – was obvious.

Sometimes she thought these girls might have forgotten she had been a teenager herself once.

"Why are you wearing my shorts in the middle of January?" she asked as soon as Alice shut the front door.

Her niece stood there blinking like a deer caught in the headlights, until she finally shrugged.

"Because I got ink on my jeans and the rest are in the laundry."

Esme raised an eyebrow. She could play along with this game. "You do realize it's only fifty something degrees outside, right?"

"Yeah, but not in here. In here it's toasty."

"Well, just be careful," Esme said before walking to her bedroom. She would let Alice think she won that round, but her niece's crush on Jasper was painfully obvious. She wouldn't discourage it by any means, though. He was a nice boy who was clearly raised right, and it looked like he had a little crush on Alice, too.

.

.

.

Her phone rang at ten minutes till eleven.

"Are you here?" she asked in lieu of a greeting.

"Parked in the back."

She hung up and went to the back door, letting him in quickly and laughing to herself. She knew exactly how her kids felt about keeping stuff from her because she was doing the same thing to them.

"I missed you," Carlisle said, kissing her softly.

She laughed. "You just saw me this afternoon."

He shrugged. "Doesn't mean I didn't miss you the rest of the time."

"I can tell from that text earlier."

He groaned and put his arms around her waist, pressing her against the wall behind them.

"I meant it, you know," he whispered against her throat. "This is all I've been able to think about all day. I need you."

She grabbed his hand before he went any further. "Not here," she whispered, leading him to the bedroom. "We'd be caught so quick in the kitchen."

He smirked behind her and pulled her back against his chest. "Maybe I don't care if we get caught."

She turned and arched an eyebrow. "You don't care if my teenage girls find you naked in my kitchen?"

That did it. His face instantly changed to one of horror and he swallowed as he watched her walk toward the bedroom. Maybe it was best to keep things under wraps for now.

When he entered she was already sitting on the bed waiting for him.

She smirked, loving the way he stared at her. She had pulled out her best babydoll and robe, knowing that after a long day at work it would make his night to see her in his favorite things.

He wasted no time before covering her body with his, kissing her hard. His hand trailed up her thigh under her silk slip.

"Not wasting any time tonight, are we?"

He shook his head and peppered her throat in kisses. She hissed when he nipped at the skin where her neck and shoulder met.

"Oh, it's gonna be that kind of night, is it?"

He nodded, bringing his lips to hers once more. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. Anything she could do to let him know she was there for him. They may have only been a casual fling, but they were good friends, too, and she knew how rough his days at the hospital could be sometimes.

"Well, you know I have no complaints about that," she said with a grin.

He laughed lightly. "You love it rough. Don't ever deny it."

"You know I wouldn't. It's your favorite thing about me."

"One of many," he said, bringing his hand across her abdomen and over her breast. He pulled the slip down over her shoulder and rolled her nipple between his fingertips. She arched her back and placed a soft kiss to his shoulder.

"Oh come on, Esme, you can do better than that."

He was baiting her and she'd be lying if she said she didn't love it.

Two could play this game.

She pushed on his shoulders until he sat up, and then she rolled them over and pinned him to the bed beneath her. She didn't want to wait any more. With a sinful grin he slipped his fingers beneath her slip and teased her slowly.

"Carlisle," she groaned, her fingers fumbling with the buttons on his shirt.

"Would you like me to stop?" he asked, his finger barely slipping inside her.

"Don't you dare."

She leaned forward to kiss her way up his chest just as he slipped a second finger inside her. Her breathing grew erratic the faster his fingers moved and just when she thought she would collapse he withdrew his fingers and sat up to shrug out of his shirt.

His mouth captured hers and he wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her fiercely.

"I hate you," she muttered as he pulled her babydoll over her head.

"No you don't."

She hummed and ran her fingers through his hair. He sighed, leaning into her touch and closing his eyes. "You're so beautiful," she told him. She leaned closer to whisper in his ear. "But if you don't get in me now I may have to hurt you."

He smirked and drew back, falling against the pillow. "Oh really? Well that sounds like fun. I think I'll wait a little while in that case."

She rolled her hips against his, dragging herself over his erection. He laughed lightly and dug his fingernails into her hips. He motioned for her to sit up higher and grabbed his cock, positioning himself at her entrance. She lowered herself onto him and then quickly sat up and slammed back down. There would be no sweet and slow for them tonight. They needed each other too desperately.

His hands stayed on her hips as he helped her ride him while hers gripped his thighs behind her.

"You're perfect, Es," he groaned, loving the view as she moved above him. Nothing about Esme was shy, especially in the bedroom. She knew what she wanted from him and she took it. He loved that about her.

He lifted her off him and she stretched out beside him, moving her leg over his and turning her head to kiss him. He pulled her body to his and entered her again, dragging his hand up her chest to her neck, holding her in place and kissing her as he slammed into her. His other arm wrapped tightly around her waist and her hand fisted in the sheets as he pushed her further and further toward the edge.

"So fucking good," she moaned when Carlisle finally broke their kiss, but kept his gentle grip on her throat. "God, you're so good."

She laughed as he trailed his hand down her neck, bringing it to her breast to tweak and roll her nipple.

"Shh," he told her. "Wouldn't want to wake anybody up."

She rolled her eyes. "Shut up, you're ruining my moment."

He pulled all the way out and slammed back into her, covering her mouth to stop her scream.

She gripped his hand in hers when she came, burying her face in the sheets and rocking against him. The force of her orgasm made Carlisle follow quickly behind her, and she gasped when she felt his teeth graze her shoulder, teasing her as he slowed their pace, bringing them both down gently.

When he slid out she turned in his arms and kissed him softy. "That was amazing."

He nodded. "You're always amazing, but I think we should clean up."

"Hmm… I don't want to. I want to keep you right here."

"I want that, too," he whispered against her lips. "How about we take a shower and then I'll stay awhile?"

She nodded. "Sounds perfect."

.

.

.

After a joint shower and changing the sheets, Esme wrapped herself up in Carlisle's shirt and crawled into the bed beside him.

She laid her head on his chest and hummed at the feeling of his fingers gliding through her hair.

"When do you have to leave?"

"Edward has practice in the morning so he's leaving at five-thirty, so I can stay a little later today."

She smiled. She loved having him spend the night, especially when he didn't have to rush out at four AM to sneak back into his own house.

"Good. So, what happened today?"

He sighed. This wasn't going to be good. He would tell her, though. He never held back from her.

"Remember that 18-wheeler accident by Cuero a few weeks ago?"

"The one who ran the stop sign?"

"Yeah. Well, the driver of the car was taken to Corpus by Halo flight and then released two weeks later."

Esme nodded, rubbing his chest. She remembered that much from the news. It was a miracle the young man hadn't died, and anytime something like that happened to someone from the area it affected them all.

When Carlisle didn't say anything more but breathed raggedly, she picked her head up, looking at him with concern. His face said it all.

"How?" she asked.

He shook his head. "You know I can't say yet. It'll be on the news."

She settled back against his chest, holding him tighter. No wonder he had such an awful day. He always wanted to be able to help everyone. Losing any patient – no matter if they'd been under his care for an hour or for weeks – was hard on him. Usually he could remain detached and let it wash off on the exterior, but this one would stay with him.

He kissed the top of her head. "I don't like car accidents," she said in a moment of extreme vulnerability.

"I know," he whispered softly, knowing even the mention of one caused her to relieve receiving the news of her brother's death.

They lay in silence for several minutes and just when Carlisle thought she'd fallen asleep Esme spoke again.

"Are you going to come see my Alice's show this weekend?"

He smiled. "Of course. I'm sure Edward will be with them the whole time, which should give us plenty of time together."

"I'm counting on it," she said. The whole county and then some would come out for the livestock show. They could lose themselves in the crowds and not care who saw. The idea thrilled her.

For being just a fling she sure was letting Carlisle get under her skin, she thought as she fell asleep in her bed, wrapped in his arms.

.

.

.

The next afternoon Esme sat in the living room, waiting for her girls to get home from school. They were in an immense amount of trouble and they would know it. She never laid in wait for them, ready to pounce the minute they walked in the door, but she had received an interesting phone call from the school that morning and wanted answers from her delinquents.

She tried to look as nonchalant as she could – working on her laptop – when the girls walked in.

"Why did I get a call today that both my girls missed the first half of first period? I know you both left on time." Her voice had just enough edge to it to let both of them know she meant business.

She glared at Rosalie as her daughter calmly flopped down on the couch beside her, like she wasn't fazed at all. "Alice is having boy drama."

"I am not," Alice said defensively.

Rosalie snorted. "Yes you are."

Esme had a feeling she knew where this was going. "Is this about that boy that was here yesterday? Jasper, right?"

Alice nodded, but otherwise stayed silent.

"So, what's the problem? He was sweet and polite. Seemed like a good kid."

"He is a good kid," Alice replied. "I just don't know if he likes me, you know, _that_ way."

"I see," Esme said. "Well, sweetheart, if you like this boy, I have no problem with you dating him. Plus I've already met him so there's that out of the way. Just make sure I get to know him more before you start banging him."

She laughed when Rosalie choked and Alice looked like she wanted the floor to swallow her whole.

"Damn, Mom!"

Esme smirked, pleased that she could shock her girls, but Rose kept talking. "And when will we be getting to meet whoever it is you're banging?"

"I'm pretty sure I don't know what you're talking about," she said, staring at the couch cushion beneath her.

Was it possible they did know?

"Right… You could pull that sneaky crap on us when we were kids, but not so much anymore. Who is he?"

"None of your business," she said, closing her laptop and leaving the room.

She knew she was being a coward, but her daughter was a little investigator. She knew Rose had to know for certain something was going on – she wouldn't say anything without proof. But Esme wasn't ready to let go of her secret yet. Maybe someday if she and Carlisle ever became more, but even that wasn't something she knew if she was ready for.

.

.

.

The first day of the livestock show was rather uneventful for Esme, but she had the distinct impression it wasn't for Alice. That night after everybody had gone to bed, she was still up working on her laptop in the living room when she heard footsteps on the stairs too soft to be Rosalie's.

"Hey, princess," Esme said when Alice rounded the corner at the bottom of the stairs. "Couldn't sleep?"

She shook her head. "No."

Alice collapsed onto the couch beside her and rested her head on Esme's shoulder, closing her eyes.

"Is something wrong, honey?" Alice only ever came to Esme like this when she needed to vent something she didn't want Rosalie knowing about. Usually it was her feelings about her parents.

"I don't know what to do about Jasper."

Esme closed the laptop and set it on the table in front of her. She should have known. "That boy sure likes you a lot."

"You think so?"

"Alice, honey, please tell me you're not that blind."

Alice laughed and Esme smiled, happy to see she at least wasn't too upset. "It's just that he and Maria basically just broke up. And every time they do they get back together almost immediately. It's exhausting. So why did he suddenly start to notice me?"

"I may not always be around, and who knows, I might not know what the hell I'm talking about at all, but I think that boy's noticed you for a long time now."

"Right, so he's choosing boring, plain Mary Alice Kenedy over beautiful, popular Maria Yvonne Gonzalez."

"You are not boring or plain. Please don't think that way. You're beautiful, baby girl, and you shine brighter than the sun. Honestly, I think he's an idiot for not falling for you sooner."

Esme felt Alice's tiny arms wrap around her shoulders. "Gracias, Tia. You're the best."

"Nah, I've just got a few years of experience on you. That's all," she said with a grin.

"Oh my God, you talk like you're so old. You know how many girls at school would love for their mom to be as young and cool as you are?"

"You're sweet but you're also full of shit, you know that?"

"No I'm not. You're too awesome for your own good. That's why you've got Dr. Cullen falling all over you."

Esme choked on her wine and nearly dropped the glass. So they did know. How did they know?

"Oh yeah, we know. To be honest I don't know how you've kept that secret. It's actually really obvious."

It had to have been Edward. She had thought on more than one occasion he might have seen them together. Now she knew.

"I'm gonna kill Edward."

"You know how I know Jasper's worth all the possible drama Maria might cause?" Alice asked.

"How?"

"Because when Edward spilled the beans on you and his dad, Jasper said as long as you guys make each other happy. I know you do even though you hid everything from us, and Jasper apparently believes in true love. He's worth it," she said with a nod.

.

.

.

The third day of the Goliad County livestock show, when Alice would show, was bright and sunny. Hundreds of people were already milling about by the time Esme and her girls arrived. The minute the girls saw their friends neither of them even noticed Esme anymore, leaving her free to send a short text to Carlisle making sure he was there already.

He replied he was by his truck at the far end of the parking lot, waiting for her. She smiled to herself and pocketed her phone. She walked around the edge of the sidewalk, spotting his large truck immediately.

"Hi," he said as she stood in front of him.

"Hi."

He reached out slowly and intertwined their fingers. She smiled and leaned closer, barely brushing her lips across his.

"Where are the kids?" he asked.

"Already inside. We should probably go find them and grab our seats."

He nodded, but looked more than a little uncomfortable. The night Alice had admitted to her aunt that she knew about them Esme had called him as soon as Alice had disappeared up the stairs.

They had agreed there was no longer a need to hide per se, but neither of them was anxious to field a bunch of questions from their kids. Luckily it didn't look like it would come to that. No one had mentioned it since, and Esme prayed it would stay that way until she could sort out her own feelings for Carlisle.

To say she was attracted to him would be a massive understatement, but it had been a long time since she had seriously dated anyone. The thought scared her a little, but the more time she spent with Carlisle the more she questioned whether it would be so bad.

They walked silently into the arena and Esme spotted her daughter right away, sitting with Edward, Emmett, Bella, and Jasper. She took her seat beside Rosalie and Carlisle sat next to her, leaving very little distance between them. She fought the urge to move away, reminding herself that the hiding was no longer necessary. It was so ingrained in her, though, she wondered how long it would take her to ease into this new stage of their relationship – if that's even what it was.

He smiled at her and offered the tub of popcorn Edward had saved for him. Her nerves were on edge as they watched each entry. There were some fine sheep this year, but she was confident Bob would win. Alice had worked too hard for this not to win.

She beamed with pride when her tiny niece finally circled the large ring. She didn't miss the smile Alice flashed directly at Jasper when she spotted them, and apparently neither did Rosalie. She elbowed her daughter in the rib when she snorted.

"What?" Rosalie asked.

"Be happy for your cousin," Esme whispered.

"I am. She's just being cheesy."

"She is not. She's being sweet. She likes him a lot."

As she spoke she felt Carlisle's hand on the bench move toward hers. She held her breath as his index finger slowly ghosted over hers, testing this new public setting. She wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of it. She had been naked with this man more times than she could count, had her hands and mouth all over him, and now she was finding it hard to breathe when he barely held her hand.

Esme's pride when Alice was named grand champion in her division was overwhelming, and she gripped Carlisle's hand, and kissed him on the cheek as she cheered, not even caring who saw.

She was the first to grab Alice in a hug when they all met outside the arena and decided to get barbeque to celebrate before it would be Jasper's turn to show.

Esme didn't miss the way Jasper hugged her gently when he congratulated her, nor had she missed the way his face broke into a large smile when her name had been announced and he had cheered louder than any of them.

Alice was blind if she couldn't see his interest in her.

Once they finished eating Jasper needed to go prepare his steer for show, and Esme and everyone else resumed their seats in the arena. This time Alice sat beside her aunt, and Esme had to smile and place her hand on Alice's knee to keep it from bouncing as each steer was shown.

"It'll be fine, you'll see. I'm sure he'll win."

Alice leaned forward in her seat when Jasper entered the arena.

Esme had to admit, he showed extremely well. His steer was the best she had seen so far, and that assessment wasn't just playing favorites on Alice's behalf. Esme had spent her entire life on a ranch, knew the business better than she knew anything in the world. She could guarantee without a doubt Jasper would take top prize.

If only she could get Alice to calm down and see it, too.

"Honey, you're shaking the whole bench," she said with a laugh, placing her hand on Alice's knee again.

"I can't help it. I want him to win so bad."

"He will," Edward said. "I didn't see a better cow in that group, did you?"

"Sweetheart, there is a huge difference between a steer and a cow and I won't be seen in public with you until you grasp this," she heard Bella say behind them.

They all laughed and Esme was grateful they could lift Alice's anxiety, even just a little.

Esme thought Alice was going to pass out as they began awarding champions, but when her prediction came true and Jasper took top prize Alice shocked them all.

Esme watched in amazement as her usually shy and controlled niece ran straight down the steps and jumped over the barricade, running into Jasper's arms and kissing him in front of hundreds of spectators.

She wondered if Jasper might get into trouble for that, but since she knew the judges she didn't worry. She would fix it. They didn't look troubled anyway. In fact, they were all watching with bemused expressions as everyone in the stands cheered for two young kids, making out in the middle of a show barn.

Esme laughed out loud, and Carlisle put an arm around her shoulder, leaning over to whisper in her ear. "That's one brave kid you've got there. She reminds me of someone I love."

She stopped clapping immediately and turned to him, shock written all over her face. He laughed and tucked her hair behind her ear, nodding.

And just like that she knew. She always had, really. They had been such close friends, and when it developed into a wild fling it had been like that's what it always should have been.

This was no different.

She knew in that moment she loved him, too.

It just took him saying it first for her to realize it.

Everything else was forgotten as she wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her lips against his throat. "I love you, too," she whispered. "I really, really think I love you, too."

He held her tightly and whispered against her ear, "Maybe we should celebrate later."

She pulled back, a smirk forming on her lips. She was so taken aback by his confession and her subsequent realization, but now that he was flirting she was back on familiar ground.

"Is that a promise, Doctor Cullen?"

"It definitely is."


End file.
